At Front Row CRM we believe in the sales rep and built a CRM from the ground up as a mobile system. This allows the sales rep to complete and submit sales reports in less than 60 seconds from any mobile device, leaving more time for selling. We have added features to help the sales reps be more productive and improve compliance, including data and information retrieval, note review, location and directional maps, contact information, camera integration, sync with Outlook or Google PIM and more.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

6 Tricks for Creating the Perfect Sales Proposal

Learn six simple steps for dramatically improving the closing ratio of your proposals while increasing your average sale size.
What would it mean to you if you could increase the closing ratio of
your proposals by just 20%? So many salespeople spend so much time in
the initial stages of a sale, only to rely on the same weak proposal
template in order to try to close the deal. However, simply crafting
your proposals in a more intelligent way can eliminate this problem and
increase your closing ratio significantly. By implementing these six
easy steps, you will dramatically improve the number of sales that you
close.

1. Get to the Point!

The second that a prospect feels you are making him do work, he will
shut down. Most salespeople create long proposals that look super impressive.
However, their prospects never read them. Instead, keep your proposals
as short as possible, and get directly to the point. Anything in your
proposal that will not directly contribute to a prospect’s decision
should be removed.

2. Remove Any Boilerplate

Prospects will immediately skim through any information in a proposal
that seems generic, and once he has begun skimming, he won’t stop. If
you are simply plugging a different name and company into the same
template each time, you are hurting your chances of closing a sale. Only
include information in the proposal that you’ve learned in previous
meetings with the prospect.

3. Think Outcomes

Most proposals focus primarily on what the salesperson intends to
deliver to the prospect. However, your prospects are never buying
anything for specific deliverables -- aka your product or service. They
are buying the outcomes that you provide. The same is true when someone
buys a drill: the buyer doesn’t care about the tool; he is more
interested in the holes it creates. Focus your proposal on what your
offering will do to improve your prospect’s current situation.

4. Outline Value

When your prospect feels sticker shock, it’s not because your price
is too high. Sticker shock happens when the prospect doesn’t see enough
value in what you are offering. During the course of your meetings
leading up to a proposal, be sure to outline the value, in dollars and
cents, of what you are offering. Ideally, you can ask questions that
will help your prospect articulate the value of solving his challenges.
Then be sure to include this value in your proposal. Every outcome
should have a corresponding value.

5. Create Options

When you give your prospect one option in your proposal, he is likely
going to want to shop around for some comparison. However, when you
offer three different solutions, ranging from the most basic option that
will solve his key challenges to a premium one with all the bells and
whistles, you are providing some immediate context for his decision.
Plus, you increase your chances of closing a larger deal simply by
offering that premium, high-priced option for your prospect to consider.

6. Turn Your Proposal into a Contract

Have you ever had a prospect say that she was ready to move forward
with a contract only to have the deal fall apart? This happens to
salespeople all the time, and there is one very simple solution. Make
your proposal your contract. Since your proposal already outlines the
scope, simply include a section at the bottom that allows the prospect
to sign if she is ready to commit. This will allow you to avoid any
clunky back and forth after there’s been a verbal agreement.
Which of these tricks do you think will be most useful for your business? Please share below in the comments.

About Front Row CRM

Front Row Solutions is an innovative CRM sales tool that utilizes sales reporting applications and maps to increase productivity and revenue. Sales will see an immediate benefit in commissions and ease of use. Managers see real time reports, statistics and activity that is meaningful. www.FrontRow-Solutions.com